Story by Alex Newman TOLEDO, SPAIN–Mariano Zamorano has a 12-inch dagger blade gripped in his right hand as he guides it with his left over a rough stone rotating on a spinning wheel. He shifts and sparks fly up and out, illuminating the darkened room. Then he moves with the blade to the next stone,…

By Joe Thomas To fully understand Spanish gastronomy is to make a trip to one of Spain’s many food markets. Natives still turn to the traditional markets to find the freshest food, sold from vendors with decades of experience preparing, presenting and selling their goods. The markets hold specialty products distinct to the region that can…

Story by Alex Newman and Ethan Parets MADRID–Several computer monitors and laptops are scattered about the office’s lone desk, used as a communal space for the company’s four employees. The walls are plastered with diagrams of web design, sticky-notes and the close-knit team’s inside jokes – including Arnold Schwarzenegger as Employee of the Month. Among…

Story by Julia Guilardi MADRID–Nacho Paunero has spent the last 20 years fighting to ensure that homeless and stray animals in Madrid would no longer be killed only 10 days after their rescue. “Any animal found on the streets, even if it was in a perfect condition, could be slaughtered after 10 days,” said Paunero,…

Story by Karolina Chorvath MADRID–In a graffiti-adorned building in the Malasaña quarter of Madrid, a group of activists gathered as they do every Monday, to plan a large-scale protest against the Spanish Citizens Security Law in front of Parliament that, for the time-being, they still have a right to do. But not for long. Among…

Story by Hayley Masters and Freda Spencer MADRID–Rashed Harun, 29, and his wife are among the 12 bikers in a group who spent their Tuesday afternoon on the “Madrid tapas and bikes” tour. For about $25 each, they got the necessary equipment to go on a three-hour tour of Madrid, stopping at landmarks and for…

Story by Dylan McGuinness and Adam Tismaneanu MADRID–It’s 4:30 p.m. on a Saturday and Elena Wang is sitting alone in the front room of her empty Sichuan restaurant, just before closing between the lunch and dinner rushes. She’s waiting on her 10-year-old son to come back from his school lesson. He walks in, greets his…

Story by Fernanda Hurtado Ortiz MADRID–Perfect 6-and-half-foot waves, a health-food café, a surf school and shop and chilled-out bars will be some of the features of a landlocked beach 40 minutes away from the center of the bustling Spanish capital of Madrid. The project, Wet Madrid, was officially announced on April 9 and is scheduled…

Story by Monica Vallejo MADRID–Like any Tuesday evening, people start trickling into the workshop located in the Arganzuela district, minutes away from the center of Madrid. Javier Porres, a retired engineer, has been working most of the afternoon printing parts for his latest project. He is building himself a new 3-D printer. “I didn’t know…

MADRID–Attendance at Catholic churches in Spain is rapidly declining, especially among young parishioners. Since the Spanish Constitution separated church and state in 1978, the number of Spanish citizens who identify as Catholic has continued to drop. Churches are now looking for new ways to appeal to those born after this separation. Catholic nuns have also felt the negative…

MADRID–The Spanish music industry has fallen on hard times. The government has raised the sales tax on tickets by almost 15 percent, driving down the number of people who attend live concerts. Bands on tour can’t make a profit due to falling ticket sales. Record labels, music stores and venues are all losing money as…

Story by Hayley Masters MADRID–Guillermo Burba dangles by his fingertips from Techo de Puli, a well-known boulder in Madrid’s Sierra de Guadarrama National Park. His tight-fitting t-shirt exposes the veins that bulge along his forearms, while every muscle in his brawny figure flexes simultaneously. Burba is climbing virtually upside down, gripping onto whatever piece of…